Brave, Reckless Rookie
by Serenity Shadowstar
Summary: *SkyeWard* I love them, they belong together:D Skye follows Ward on a solo op because she has a bad feeling and he told her to trust her gut. She trusts her gut. Ward doesn't know she followed him...


**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Agents of SHIELD; if I did, my favorite ****BADASS ****would not have been the biggest idiot in the universe… whatever…I love him anyway…even though I still want to shoot his stupid robot ass in the ass with an ICER.**

***SkyeWard* they are my OTP and they will be together soon…**_**its fate**_**.**

**AN: Okay, so maybe Ward **_**did**_** murder his family to bury the past and move on and maybe he **_**didn't**_**. Even if he did, it doesn't matter. They got what they deserved. I still love his stupid ass and somewhere deep, deep down underneath all that anger, disappointment and hostility Skye does too. And Ward is going to do something to remind her that she still loves him, the good, the bad and the ugly. I also think that her father may give her some insight on her **_**real**_** feelings towards Ward and when she finds out that he's doing all of this to keep her safe? She'll be willing to give his dumbass the chance that he rightfully deserves. I still think he should have thrown Christian down that well and let him stew in his own misery for a while.**

**Ward might get in some serious trouble with Whitehall…That asshole better not hurt him or brainwash him. Well I don't really think the brainwashing thing would work on him because he has two motives and that is to get back in Skye's and the teams' good graces and to help her father take down HYDRA. If that psycho Whitehall dares to use that machine on him all he will see on the screen is Skye's face giving him the smile she only ever reserved for him. Torturing him won't work either because Garrett and his family already broke him, plus he's a trained SHIELD Specialist (Ward will always be an Agent of SHIELD to me because I think that was the real him. The Protector; The Guardian; The Man who loves Skye. Well **_**all**_** sides of Ward love Skye.) The only way to hurt Ward is to put Skye in the room with him and hurt her. Same thing goes for Skye. Whitehall is now curious about her and she has intimate knowledge of Coulson and his team. Knowledge that Ward can't give him (Ward probably hasn't given him anything vital.) Skye won't break either. The only way to hurt her is to hurt the people she loves. She still loves Grant even though she is currently in denial about her feelings for him. So the only way to get Skye to talk would be to hurt Ward.**

**We all know that Ward wouldn't want her to give up what she knows, because he feels that he deserves the torture. Skye won't be able to watch him suffer and die, so she'll do what it takes to buy them time to get out. **

**The Romanian and French are from google translate and I don't know if it's accurate. **

**The song is Miracle by Shinedown**

**Just for the record I think that **_**Brett Dalton**_** should have been voted as **_**The Sexiest Man Alive**_** instead of Chris Hemsworth. Brett is way more badass sexy, and damn! Those cheekbones and those abs and those arms and**_** etc.**_

**AN: This story takes place about a month after Skye joins Coulson's' team and she wasn't kidnapped because she was Rising Tide. She was kidnapped because Ward thought it would be funny to scare the shit out of her. They know each other; they have been living in the same building as neighbors for the past 4 months. They just didn't know that they worked for the same Agency. **

_**Say it once, tell me twice**_

I have been working for SHIELD for about six years now. AC found me when I was 18 and decided I'd be a good fit for his Agency, saving the world and all that. He caught me hacking into the SHIELD mainframe going through redacted files and asked me what I was doing. I told him the truth; that I was looking for my parents. AC believed me and gave me a place here. I went to the SHIELD Communications Academy and graduated with honors. It took six months. And then I was sent undercover to infiltrate the Rising Tide since they have been causing trouble for our Agents all over the world. I check in with HQ about once a week and haven't had any problems in the last five years. Until now.

About four months ago a new guy moved into my building on the same floor right next door, and damn was he gorgeous; tall around 6'3", short black hair, brown eyes and he was cut. Those muscles, I could see his 8pack through his tight t-shirt and his tight ass through those skinny jeans. Damn! I am so going to fall hard for this guy, he looks totally badass. Tall, handsome and dangerous; I will bet my life that he works for a secret government agency. And then he caught me staring at him. His eyes narrowed and his mouth tightened into a frown.

"Can I help you with something? Or are you going to stand there and stare all day?" he asked in a flat voice and I blushed. _Shit! He caught me. Now what do I do?_ Right away I could tell that he wasn't a people person. He has a story and I am going to find it out. I cleared my throat, smiled and approached him.

"Hey, I'm Skye. Do you need any help moving in?" I asked politely, holding out my hand for him to shake. He hesitated for a minute, and then grasped my hand in a firm grip to shake. I didn't want to let go. But the moment was over.

"Grant Ward and yes; that would be nice, thank-you," he replied a bit awkwardly. Yep. I was right, he wasn't a people person. This was going to be fun. I smiled and followed him downstairs to the parking lot to his truck and helped him unload his boxes. He didn't have very many.

I picked up three and he raised an eyebrow. I narrowed my eyes at him, "What?" I growled. He laughed and put his hands up in a placating gesture. His laugh was nice and masculine.

"For a tiny thing, you sure are strong," he replied, defending himself. Picking up the last of his boxes and carrying them inside. I followed quickly behind him, taking in the view. He has a really nice ass.

"Well in my line of work, I kind of have to be," I muttered behind him. His head turned slightly and I think he might have heard me, but didn't say anything.

Once we reached his apartment, he had me place the boxes in the living room. It was nice and modern. Hardwood floors, black furniture, a glass coffee table, a flat screen TV and a bar off in the far left corner.

He came back into the room and gave me a barely there smile, "Thanks for the help Skye. I really appreciate it."

I grinned at him, "Not a problem Grant. It was nice meeting you," my voice was light and I could just tell that my eyes were sparkling. I turned and headed for the door when a hand on my arm stopped me. His hand was rough, like he's been through hard labor. But I knew that touch and when I turned around to face him, I knew that look in his eyes too. He was alone and has been for a long time, he was also haunted by dark demons. _This one definitely has some stories._

"Can I buy you a cup of coffee?" he asked tentatively. Damn! I wanted to say yes, I really, really did. But I had to get to work ASAP or I was going to be late.

"I'm so sorry, but I have to get to work. How about lunch?" I asked almost shyly and he smiled. An actual all there smile. This was going to be a great friendship.

"Where do you work?"

"Lydon Industries," I answered. I hated it. I hated being undercover for SHIELD within the Rising Tide, but it was for the good of the nation and all that. I barely caught his grimace, but it was there. "I work in the IT department," I clarified. He smiled and told me that he would pick me up for lunch. I couldn't wait. I was going to have the '_Sexiest Man Alive' _as my lunch date. All of the other girls are going to be so jealous. I waved goodbye and walked out.

It was the beginning of a great friendship. We were total opposites, I pushed his buttons and got under his skin, and he pushed mine and made me so mad I wanted to hit something, particularly his handsome face. I found out about his past and I knew he wasn't telling me everything because he was either afraid of how I'd react or ashamed of himself. I could read him like a book, but I didn't push. He'd tell me when he was ready.

"We all have our demons Grant. Some of us worse than others," I said gently, giving him a reassuring smile. I gave his hand a tight squeeze and proceeded to tell him about myself, I skipped the bad foster homes and I didn't tell him about the man that lived at the orphanage because I knew how he'd react. He's a fierce protector and if he found out what happened to me in the orphanage he'd go all Avenging Angel on me. I didn't want to lose him.

We've had a great friendship for about four months and then Ward, the _asshole_ scared the holy living shit out of me. AC wanted to bring me in for debrief but I wasn't ready yet, so I was sitting in my SUV in my regular alley when him and Ward showed up. I was so shocked at seeing Grant standing there in a suit and aviators that all I could say was, "Hey, what up?" And then Ward decided to throw a bag over my head. I mean come on! That was unnecessary. But the look on his face when he saw me was priceless. I will never forget it. I should have taken a picture. But, he looked so hot in that suit of his.

So Grant Ward was an Agent of SHIELD. Of course, I should have known. He's always wearing a suit when he picks me up for our annual lunch and sometimes he comes home bloody and bruised and refuses to explain what happened. Damnit. Now I wanted to kick his ass and ream him a new one. I could totally take him.

I was interrogated and then Coulson brought up the obvious, "Do you two know each other?"

"No."

"Yes." We said at the same time, glaring daggers at each other.

"We're neighbors AC. Robot here lives right next door to me," I said smiling and Ward frowned when I called Agent Coulson AC.

"Shut up, Skye," Ward growled through clenched teeth. AC smiled amused by our antics.

"Skye tell Ward here what you have been up to for the last five years," AC said and then walked out. Leaving me alone with my man crush. Damnit. He's so gorgeous I can't help myself. So I told him everything, spilling my little heart out to him. When I was done, he was shocked, staring at me with his jaw dropped to the floor and then he composed himself.

"You have no idea how many times you've saved my life," he said quietly, looking down at the table. Now it was my turn to be shocked.

"What are you talking about?" I asked him, completely confused; staring him straight in the face.

"For the last two years, the Rising Tide has been leaking info about my ops onto the internet and every time you fed those assholes false information my covers were saved. So, thank you," he said sincerely, looking me in the eyes. I blushed crimson.

"It was nothing. Just doing my job," I replied dismissively and Grant smiled at me, shaking his head.

"Do you have a SO?" he asked out of nowhere, and then he abruptly closed his mouth and frowned. I snickered. _The _Grant Ward was offering to be my SO. I grinned and put my hands on the table.

"No Ward. I don't have a SO. I have been undercover for the last five years," I said, my voice neutral, but on the inside I was as giddy as a school girl. _Grant Ward wants to be my SO!_

Ward sighed, exasperated. I knew that face and it made me want to poke him in the chest to annoy him some more. "I'll do it," he said simply and I smiled. This was going to be fun.

_**Are you certain I'm alright?**_

We were about a month in with Ward being my SO and man, does that guy get riled up! I know every one of his weaknesses and he knows mine. I push his buttons on purpose just to get a rise out of him and I've lost track of how many times he's rolled his eyes at me in one day. I think I gave him an eye twitch. It's adorable. The robot has feelings. But, just because I like to annoy him on purpose doesn't mean that I don't pay attention to what he's teaching me. I have a photographic memory and I can mimic everything he does to a T. He doesn't need to know that. I can also currently speak 8 languages; he doesn't need to know that either. Better to surprise him. Ward and I have become great friends and I am pretty sure that I'm falling in love with him. I can't tell if he feels the same, he is very good at hiding his feelings. On the other hand I am not, and I think it might be obvious to everyone but Ward that I love him. Every time he comes back from a mission bruised and bleeding, I want to hug him and yell at him at the same time. But I don't, I just smile at him, welcome him home and then run off to my bunk to silently bawl my eyes out. I have night terrors about him dying and there's nothing I can do to save him. I wake up in a cold sweat and I don't fall back asleep.

It was about a week after I realized that I was in love my Robot SO; he was sent on a solo mission in Romania. His cover was a billionaire/philanthropist selling alien tech to Black Market Mercenaries. I couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to go wrong, but I didn't say anything because everyone told me to trust the system. Ward told me to trust my gut. That's what I did. I followed him and I kept an eye on him for a week to make sure that my feeling was just that; _a feeling_. A few hours later all hell broke loose. He was surrounded by 20 Black Market Mercenaries, they all had guns pointed at him, and they decided it was a good idea to beat the shit out of him because it was 20 against one and they thought he wouldn't fight back if he had guns pointed in his face. They were wrong. He fought back and made it worse for himself. I had to do _something_! I was not going to sit here and watch him get his ass kicked, I was his rookie for goddsake and he taught me everything. These bastards won't get away with laying a single hand on him. It was time to intervene. Ward is going to be so pissed at me. I didn't care, his life has always been more important than mine.

"Hei gaozari! Ai gresit omul. Nu e cel care te-a vândut la Interpol. Pleacă de lângă el chiar acum!" I yelled at them in fluent Romanian. (Hey assholes! You have the wrong guy. He's not the one that sold you out to Interpol. Get away from him right now!)

All 20 of them turned away from Ward and faced me. I smiled cunningly at them and crossed my arms over my chest in a defensive stance.

"Cum ştim că spui adevărul?" the leader stepped forward and questioned me. (How do we know you're telling the truth?) I looked over at Ward and noticed that he was staring at me in wide eyed jaw dropping shock. He was all bloody, but still handsome as ever. I winked at him and he closed his mouth, giving me the _we'll talk later_ look. I turned back to the assholes that were hurting him.

"Nu veţi." I replied, smiling wickedly (You don't.) and then I jumped on the guy nearest to me and took him down in a choke hold with my arms tight around his neck. He was unconscious immediately. Ward took this as a sign to start kicking ass again, and damn did he look good doing it. I quickly got back to work. I took the Night Night gun out of my back pocket and started picking the Mercs off one by one, until there were only five left and I was out of bullets. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Ward running towards me, when he made it over, I got a better look at his injuries. His suit was ripped in places; there was blood all over his face, shirt, jacket and back. He looked like he'd been put through hell. He probably had a few broken ribs. I decided to annoy him for the hell of it to lighten the mood, since we were probably going to die and AC has no idea that I followed Ward on his suicide mission. I knew the minute his cover was blown.

"La voiture est garée autour du robot de coin. Sortons du camp d'ici," I told him in fluent French. (The car is parked around the corner robot. Let's get the hell out of here.) Ward looked at me stunned, then made a face and his right eye started to twitch. I smiled at him. I have just rendered _The_ Agent Grant Ward speechless. He took my hand and pulled me up. The instant his hand touched mine I felt tingles, everywhere and I could tell that he could too. He was just better at hiding it.

"Come on rookie. Let's go and when we get the hell out of here you have some explaining to do," he hissed in my ear. Yep. I knew he was going to be pissed. When we made it to the corner, guns started blazing in all directions.

And then I saw it; a red dot on Ward's chest; right on his heart, I didn't think. I didn't have to. I jumped on him tackling him to the ground as I felt the bullets in quick succession pierce my back. It hurt. Gods it hurt, but I wasn't going to say anything because then Ward would lose focus. All I could do was bite down on my tongue to keep from screaming out in pain. My back and side were on fire and it hurt to breathe, but there was no way I was going to succumb to oblivion without telling Grant a few things first. The moment I felt his hand touch my side, everything changed because the second he looks at his hand he'll know that I jumped in front of a sniper to save his life. I felt him tense and then he sucked in a ragged breath.

"Skye?" he rasped, his voice shaking slightly, "Look at me. _Please._" I barely managed to keep my eyes open; I was so tired and exhausted. Everything hurt.

"I'm still here Ward," I managed to get out, my voice sounded far away, "It will take more than two bullets to bring me down." He paled and held onto me tighter, before releasing me and laying me down on my front so he could inspect the wounds. He took his jacket off, lifted up my shirt and cursed; loudly, before balling up his jacket and pressing it into my back to stop the blood from leaving my body. It wouldn't work. He gave me a tight lipped smile and told me that everything was going to be okay. I could tell just by the sound of his voice that he was lying for my sake and his. His hand was shaking while holding the jacket to the wounds on my back. His other hand was pulling his hair and wiping down his bloody, handsome face. He narrowed his eyes and glared at me. I knew this was coming. _The idiot._ He doesn't believe his life is worth anything.

"Fuck! Skye! Why did you do that? Why did you jump in front of a _fucking_ sniper to save my life and get hit twice in the back? _Why_?" he growled, and I saw the tears leaking out of the corner of his eyes. Grant Ward was crying. _Over me_. I tried to lift my arm so I could wipe his tears away and take away his pain and grief, but I couldn't. There was no strength left.

"You know Agent Ward? For a Specialist you really are oblivious," I said loudly so I would be heard over all of the gunfire and then I started hacking up blood. _Shit. That can't be good_. He scowled at me with a puzzled expression on his face.

"I love you, _you idiot!_" I hissed and then choked. Ward stared at me and then gave me the most blinding smile I have ever seen and then everything went black. But I wasn't going to leave him, because no one is in charge of my fate except me.

_**Just a sign, to remind me**_

The moment he felt her tackle him to the ground in a blaze of gunfire he knew something wasn't right. And then he felt it; the slick wet spot on her lower back. He lifted his hand, hoping that he was wrong, but he wasn't. She was bleeding, profusely.

"Skye?" he rasped, his voice shaking slightly, "Look at me. _Please._" Now he was starting to panic, because his rookie is never without something witty or sarcastic to say. _This was bad and he didn't know what he would do if he ever lost her. _And then he heard it. It was barely audible, but there.

"I'm still here Ward," she said, her voice thready and weak, she was slipping away from him he could tell and then she continued, "It will take more than two bullets to bring me down."

Grant visibly paled, even he could feel the blood draining from his face and he was covered in it. _Two bullets!? She was hit in the back twice and she didn't even make a sound. He would be impressed if this wasn't a life or death situation._ He was sore all over. Gently pulling Skye in closer for a tight squeeze, he let her go and laid her down on her front so he could inspect her wounds.

Ward gently lifted up her jacket and shirt, the damage was bad. She was shot once below the heart and the second bullet hit her in the lower back near the kidney. "_Godsdamnit_!" he cursed loudly and then winced, this had to hurt. _She jumped in front of a sniper for me, _he thought, _why would she do that? _He took his bloody jacket off and placed it on her back to stem the blood flow.

"Everythings going to be okay, Rookie. I promise," he told her his voice soft. On the outside he was calm and in robot mode, but on the inside he was a complete mess. He's known her for 5 months now and he couldn't imagine his life without her. Skye was everything to him, he was just afraid to tell her. But first he had to find out why she would do something so reckless and stupid and ultimately brave. One other thing he wanted to know; was how she managed to show up in the nick of time to save his life.

"Fuck! Skye! Why did you do that? Why did you jump in front of a _fucking_ sniper to save my life and get hit twice in the back? _Why?"_ he growled over the lump forming in his throat, he could feel tears pooling in the corners of his eyes. Grant Ward does not cry, he hasn't cried since he was 12 years old and his bastard of a brother tossed his younger brother Tommy down a well. He can't lose her, she's all he has. Skye is the only person in this universe that he is not afraid to let touch him. He never once flinched or shied away when she tried to touch him because he somehow knew that she would never hurt him.

She told him her story once, after their third annual lunch date. He remembers her saying, _**"We all have our demons Grant. Some of us worse than others."**_ She gave him a sad smile and squeezed his hand, he could tell that she was holding back, but he didn't want to push. She would tell him when she was ready and now that chance maybe lost.

Movement from underneath his jacket brought him out of his thoughts. Skye was staring up at him with the most defiant and reverent look on her face, he was almost sure that she'd pull through. "You know Agent Ward? For a Specialist you really are oblivious," she said loud enough so he could hear her. Now Grant was just confused. _What the hell is she going on about?_ And then she started hacking up blood. _Shit! Internal bleeding, and possibly a punctured lung._ Grant scowled at her and raised an eyebrow. He didn't get what she meant.

"_I love you, you idiot!"_ she hissed and then choked on her own blood that was filling in her mouth. She was out for the count. And Ward didn't know what to do. Skye, his rookie just told him the three little words that he has longed to hear from someone his whole life. And then she fell unconscious so he didn't get to say them back.

Grant started to shake her, "_Don't you fucking dare die on me, Rookie! You hear me?! Don't you dare! I need you, I love you too. You're all I have in this world Skye,"_ he whispered in her ear and squeezed her shoulder, before pulling out his cell phone and calling Coulson to get here ASAP.

The phone rang once and Coulson picked up, "Ward? What's going on?" he asked calmly.

Grant went back into Agent mode and composed himself, "My covers been blown, but that's not the worst of it," he said taking a breath and was about to continue when he was interrupted.

"What do you mean that's not the worst of it, Grant?" Coulson asked a slight edge to his voice.

He sucked in a ragged breath and prepared for the worst, "Skye was here, Sir. She showed up in the nick of time to stop 20 Black Market Mercs from executing me. And then she was shot twice in the back by a sniper." Ward held his breath, waiting for Coulson to blow up.

"Shit. I knew she was up to no good when she asked for the week off," Coulson mused out loud. Ward on the other hand was shocked. _She asked for the week off?_

"What are you talking about Sir?" he asked his voice deathly calm. How could they not have known where she was?

"That Rookie of yours Ward, you taught her too well. She said she wanted a week off and I was obliged to give it to her, I can't say no to her when she gives me _that face; _I should have known something was up. Ever since you left she's had this air about her that something wasn't right. She never said anything out loud but it was this look in her eyes_,"_ Coulson replied, his voice wavering.

"Damnit! Coulson. She's been here in Romania following me for the past week. I knew someone was following me, I just didn't know it was her until she showed up and saved my ass. Did you know that she can speak Romanian and French fluently?" Ward asked, getting sidetracked. He looked down at Skye, she was still breathing. Barely.

"No I didn't."

"I need you guys to come get us. Her condition is critical and I swear to the Gods if she dies Coulson," Ward couldn't finish, he couldn't think about that. He ran a bloody hand down his face.

"I know Grant. Just try to keep her stable and we'll be there in 15 minutes. And Ward? I'm sorry this happened, I know how much she means to you," he said and then hung up. Ward stared at his phone, then put it back in his pocket and gently lifted Skye into his arms. He took a peek around the corner, saw the coast was clear and ran for the nearest rooftop. _Hang on Rookie. Everything will be okay._ At least that's what he kept telling himself.

_**That tomorrow's worth the fight**_

**Please read and review! I love reading your thoughts and opinions:)**


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